Fastener



Jan. 1, 1924 F. RODGERS FASTENER Filed Sept. 27. 1922 WITNESS:

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1 513 odgero INVBNTOR ATTORNEY Jan- I,

F. RODGERS FASTENER Filed Sept. 27 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M n/fwd ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 1', 1924.

FAY Eo'DGER's, or MEMrHrs, TENNESSEE.

'rAsTENEE.

Application filed September 27, 1922'. Serial No. 590,896.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, F AY Romans, a citizen of the United States, residing at Memphis, in the county of Shelby and State of Tennessee, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

An object of this invention is to produce a latching means for refrigerator doors which is adjustable to fit varying sizes of such articles, as well as to compensate for any swellingbetween the door and refrigerator, which is spring influenced to operable position and which may be released from either the exterior or the interior of the refrigerator.

To the attainment of the foregoing and other objects which will present themselves as the nature of the invention is better understood, reference is to be had to the drawings which accompany and form part of this application.

In the drawings Figure l is a front elevation illustrating the application of the improvement.

Figure 2' is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 1. v

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the latch.

Figure 6 is a similar view of the keeper.

The improvement is designed for use upon large size refrigerators, such as those employed by butchers, hotels, grocers, etc., and in the drawings a sufficient portion of such refrigerator is disclosed to illustrate the application of the improvement. The refrigerator is indicated by the numeral 1, and the door closing the opening therein by the numeral 2. As is usual in such constructions, the door is stepped and has its face disposed a considerable distance outwardly from the face of the refrigerator.

On the refrigerator, to one side of the door there is a keeper 3. The keeper includes a face plate through which the securing means pass, and a hook-like beak whose outer face is provided with a downwardly curved lip extension 4:.

Secured to the door, opposite the keeper 3 there is the flat body plate 5 of a bracket.

The body plate is preferably in the nature of an angle member and is provided, at a suitable distance from its upper edge with outstanding ears 6'. Below the ears the plate 5 is provided with an outwardly directed flange 7 which is apertured. The outer ear member is arranged in a line with the side of the bracket adjacent the keeper 8, and there is pivotally secured between the ears a lever 8 having an inwardly directed angle arm 9. To this arm there is attached one end of axhelical spring 10, the opposite end of the spring being engaged by the hooked end of a bolt 11, the said bolt passing through the aperture in the flange 7 and being engaged by nuts 12 and 13 which contact respectively with the opposed faces of the flange. By this arrangement it will be seen that the tension of the spring may be adjusted. The arm 9 of the lever 8 is forced by the spring 10 against the plate 5, which limits the swinging of the lever in such direction. The pivot member for the lever 8 is indicated by the numeral 14, the same not only projecting through openings in the ears, but also extending beyond the sides of the ears. The projecting portion of the pivot adjacent to the catch is rounded to provide what I will term an eye, indicated by the numeral 15, the bore of the eye having one of its walls straight for contacting engagement with a straight wall on a bolt member 16. The bolt has screwed thereon nuts 17 and 18 which contact respectively with the faces of the eye 15, and whereby the bolt is effectively sustained adjusted on the eye. The bolt has its inner end provided with an angle cross sectionally rounded extension 19 and on this. extension there is journaled a roller 20, the said roller designed to ride over the lip 4 of the catch when the door is closed and the spring 10 will then swing the roller into engagement with the beak of the catch, so that the door is thus effectively held in closed position. It is, of course, to be understood that the lever is fixedly attached tothe pivot there for, the said pivot being preferably provided with a cross sectionally squared portion that passes through a squared opening in the said lever. The bolt, its angular extension, and the roller provide the latch proper of the improvement, and the construction thereof is such that by adjusting the nuts 17 and 18, the roller may be brought toward or away from the keeper 3 so that the latch is thus adjustable to varying sizes or thicknesses of refrigerating doors, and likewise the same may be readily adjusted to compensate for any swelling between the door and the refrigerator. It will be fur ther noted that the latch is automatic in its engagement with the catch, and may be readily released therefrom by the operation of the lever.

The opposite or inner end of the pivot 1% for the operating lever 8 is squared to receive therethrough the squared bore in one end of a finger 21, the finger projecting inwardly against the side of the inner ear 6. Above the finger there is integrally formed on the base plate of the bracket, a lug 22.

Let through a round opening in the door 2, and finding a bearing in an opening in the plate 5 as well as in the door of a washer 23 that is secured on the inner face of the door, there is a shaft 24:. This shaft has its outer end square in cross section to be received in a squared opening in one end of an arm 25, the said arm being directed toward the finger 21 and having its free end bifurcated, as at 26 to receive the said finger therein. The inner end of the shaft 24' is threaded, but one of the faces of the said threaded portion is flattened, as at 27. The threaded end of the shaft is designed to be passed through the bore on the eye end 28 of an angularly arranged handle 29. One of the walls of the bore of the handle straight for engagement with the straight wall on the threaded end of the bolt so that the turning of the handle 29 will likewise turn the shaft, with the result that the arm will influence the finger 21 to swing the lever 8 against the pressure of the spring 10 to influence the catch to releasing position from the latch. Screwed on the threaded end of the shaft there is a nut 30, and the said shaft is of a length to permit of the same being passed through varying thicknesses of doors, the handle being adjustable upon the threaded end of the said shaft and the eye end thereof is designed to contact with the washer on the inner face of the door. By this arrangement, it will. be seen that a person closed in the refrigerator can readily open the door without exterior aid.

It is believed that the foregoing description, when taken in connection with the drawings will fully set forth the construction, advantages and operation of the improvement, but it is to be understood that the description and showing are merely illustrative, and that I hold myself entitled to make all such changes therefrom as fall within the scope of the claim without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described the invention, 1 claim The combination with a refrigerator and its door, of fastening means therebetween, including a keeper secured to the refrigerator and having a beak formed with a downwardly rounded lip, a bracket plate secured to the door opposite the keeper having an outstanding pair of ears and an outstanding flange below and arranged centrally between the ears, a fixed pivot journaled between the ears and projecting therebeyond,-a'

flange of the bracket for forcing the said end of the lever against the bracket for limiting the swinging of the lever in this direction, means for adjusting the tension of said spring, a member passing through one end of the pivot and adjustably secured thereto, a laterally arranged anti-frictional roller carried by the member to engage the keeper, a finger fixed on the opposite end of the pivot, an arm having a bifurcated end receiving the finger, a fixed pivot therefor passing through the bracket and through the refrigerator door, and a handle member removably and adjustably fixed on the last mentioned pivot member.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FAY RODGERS. 

